Another episode in "Iraq War Crimes" series
- From: "Islam Will Replace Collapsing Amerikan Empire" <islam_to_replace_amerikan_empire@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 08:05:03 -0500
Another episode in "Iraq War Crimes" series
2/14/2006 11:55:00 AM GMT
Torture and abuse scandals in Iraq are not new. The U.S. forces' abuse and
torture crimes against Iraqi detainees held in the Abu Ghraib jail near the
Iraqi capital under the control of the Pentagon had earlier topped the
world's agenda.
And a few days ago another scandal not less disdainful was uncovered by the
weekly British newspaper The News of the World which released a shocking
videotape, shot in 2004, and showing British troops beating a group of
defenseless Iraqi teens with batons and kicking a dead Iraqi in the face.
The video, which included inhuman 42 blows in just 60 seconds with the
cameraman laughing and egging the soldiers on, came as another horrific
episode in a series of shocking scandals involving the occupation forces'
brutal attitude, inhuman treatment of Iraqis, and increasing frustration
over staying in the war torn country for extended periods.
The News of the World ran the headline, "Shame of 42 brainless blows" and
broadcast the video images on its website.
But in this video, apparently "filmed for fun" recorded by a corporal in
2004, is different from other scandals involving the British troops in abuse
and torture of Iraqis.
The evidence has been provided along with the outbreak of the scandal- there
are better reasons than usual for paying attention to this one. An
authentic-looking video footage showing British troops brutally beating
defenseless young civilians in Iraq next to a military compound in Basra.
The footage starts off with disturbance in the street outside the troops'
military compound. The soldiers appear chasing Iraqi teens, beating them
with clubs and kicking them in the genitals, one appeared kicking a dead
Iraqi in the face. The cameraman is heard insulting the Iraqi youngsters,
saying "Oh yes! Oh yes! You're gonna get it. Yes, naughty little boys!"
"Caution is in order, not least because a previous set of abuse pictures
turned out to be fakes", said an article published earlier on UK's The
Guardian.
Extracts of the video and images showing some of the brutal scenes were
broadcast as quickly as never any scandal reached TV stations or the Arab
and Muslim media.
The fact that the April 2004 abuse photos released by The Daily Mirror
turned out to be fake, or the fact that the British forces were not
implicated in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal don't make the effect of the
torture allegations that were proven true last May, or the latest video less
cumulative or damaging.
The British government lead by Prime Minister Tony Blair insists that out of
the 80,000 British personnel who have now served in Iraq only a tiny handful
is involved in crimes.
And while many Iraqis would consider the actions "normal compared to what
happens behind closed doors, which is greater" as Basra resident, Muhammad
Al Moussaoui, pointed out, Akil Al Bahadily, an official from the Basra
office of the Shia cleric Muqtada Al Sadr says that "this is good proof of
the violations of human rights being committed by British troops in Basra".
May photos and this week's scandalous video may not be Abu Ghraib, but they
do dispel some popular myths: that the English are the gentlemen occupiers
and that they are a civilizing corrective to the American war machine.
http://islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=10582
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